The Whirlwind
by fallenxangelxproductions
Summary: Alec is a college student who doesn't quite know who he is. When a series of chance meetings with the "Wallstreet Wizard" Magnus Bane make him start re-thinking his priorities, he is forced to decide whether to choose the stability of the life he knew, or the turbulent life of freedom Magnus offers him.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! So, I've been seeing tons of Malec AU stories from Magnus' perspective and not so many long fics from Alec's POV, so I decided I wanted to try it. I apologize if it sucks! And I'm planning for this to be a loooong fic, so hold onto your hats, I guess. Just a note, I'm picturing Magnus as the ever-amazing Godfrey Gao, who's playing Magnus in the movies. However, feel free to picture him however you want. Second note, I'm uploading the prologue and chap one the same day, so there will be no note on chap one.

Warnings: Language, (eventual) mentions of sex/implication, that's it

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments series or its characters. If I did, it would be Magnus/Alec centric, and they most certainly wouldn't have broken up. Sob.

Prologue

Honesty. Integrity. Self-sacrifice. Discipline. These were the morals I was raised on, I was taught to live. I lived with the same set of moral values as my ancestors, grandfathers, and father before me. To live with these values, to embody them, was to live with honor, was to lead to a successful life. That's what I was taught. That's what I knew. However, my previous understanding of life was incinerated, blown away, through the actions of a single man. Magnus Bane.

He reshaped everything about me—replaced my honesty with artifice, my integrity with dishonor, my self-sacrifice with selfishness, my discipline with passion. He came to redefine everything about me, down to the very marrow of my bones.

There are many feelings that I can't rightly express to him, can't correctly show him:

Gratitude.

Sympathy.

Jealousy.

Anger.

_Longing._

After all, he was my teacher, my friend, my partner, _my lover…_I have this cacophony of feelings that tie me to him. Sometimes I wonder if the old me, the one that hadn't met Magnus and didn't know emotion, would tolerate this, be able to cope. I doubt it. I can barely handle them now, now that he's gone. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe, let alone move on.

But I don't regret meeting him, or loving him. Being miserable is better than being empty, and I learned about joy and completeness from him. Those memories are something I wouldn't trade away for anything in the world.

My name is Alexander Lightwood, but everyone calls me Alec. This is the story of how I met Magnus Bane.


	2. Chapter 1

Warnings: Language, (eventual) mentions of sex/implication, that's it

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments series or its characters. If I did, it would be Magnus/Alec centric, and they most certainly wouldn't have broken up. Sob.

Chapter One

The first time I saw Magnus I was in school, a year from getting my bachelor's degree. It was at a bar. Not one of those trashy, run-down ones that alcoholics flock to. That wouldn't have suited him at all. This one had class. I guess it was a restaurant as well, but the bar was not connected with the place people ate. It was in a dance hall, which suited him wonderfully.

He didn't walk up to me and start hitting on me, not at first. He actually didn't even know that I was there, that first night. That night he was playing the piano. I can still hear it now, actually. He played the piano with such ease, such casualty, and yet he drew the most simplistically captivating sounds from the instrument that I have ever heard. I was enraptured by the notes, and by him. His eyes were closed, his face, focused, as his fingers danced tirelessly across the keyboard. I don't know how long I stood there, listening to him play.

Eventually the song ended. There was some clapping from those who listened, sprinkling from different points of the room, and some seemed to not notice at all. However, Magnus looked as if the clapping, or lack thereof, did not concern him in the least. He calmly got up from the bench and began walking over to the bar, where I was sitting.

Perhaps walking isn't the right word, as his gait was something in-between strolling and strutting. He was always like that, walking around as if he owned wherever he put his feet down. He oozed confidence.

But no matter. As I said, he walked over to the bar. I felt my heart hammer inside my chest, but did not know why. He gracefully slid onto the stool next to me and began talking to the bartender.

"Hey, Woosley, I'm done for the night," He said. He had a smooth, rich voice that had a similar effect on me as his playing.

At that, the bartender looked up. "Ah, yeah. That's fine, thank again, Magnus! You have no idea how much of a help you were…"

'_Magnus?'_ I thought, '_What kind of a name is that…and Woosley! Strange…'_

"Oh, no problem, it's no trouble. S'not like I had anything better to do tonight. But tell me, Woosley, what on earth is the manager and owner of a five star restaurant doing serving drinks at said restaurant's bar?"

As the two continued talking, I examined Magnus from out of the corner of my eye. He was tall, and very well dressed. Well, as far as I could tell, he was. I had never had much of an eye for fashion. He had a mess of spiked black hair on top of his head that should have looked punky, but came across as classy instead. As I examined his face, I saw a slight upturn to the corner of his eye. '_He's part Asian?'_There was a faint golden tone to his skin that confirmed his Asian heritage. Something continued to draw my eyes to his, but before I could closely investigate them they snapped towards me. I quickly turned my head the other way, ashamed of having been caught.

"I'll…talk to you later, Woosley," I heard him say.

I continued to defiantly look the other way until I felt two fingers tap my shoulder. Startled, I whirled around, only to be met with two green eyes and a dazzling smile.

"Do I have something on my face, or am I just that handsome?" he asked, the smile slowly shifting into a smirk.

"Wha-? Oh, no, I just…uh, you look like someone I know! Yeah…sorry for staring at you," I said. '_Great, Alec, lie to him through your freakin' teeth, ugh,'_

He looked surprised, but then laughed brightly. "Tell me his name and I'll tell you whether or not you've got the wrong guy," he said. _'Is he flirting with me?_' I noticed his eyes had eyeliner on them.

"I know you're not him, I already heard your name from the barkeep," My eyes widened as I realized my mistake. "Not that I was listening to your conversation, or anything! I just…overheard," I said, trying to control the blush on my face.

"Hmm. That's not fair. You know my name, but I don't know yours. So, let's pretend that you don't know me and start from scratch. I'm Magnus Bane, and you are…?" He was still smiling, but a sly look came over his face. I considered not answering him, but knew it would be rude not to.

"Alexander Lightwood," I said with a sigh, "Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

His eyebrows knit together slightly. "Lightwood, I've heard that name before…Ah, yes! That guy who's the head of that bank is a Lightwood! You related to him?" he asked.

Another sigh. "Yes, he's my father. Why, how do you know him?"

"Oh, I know everything about my city. Everything."

I let out a chuckle, despite myself. "Your city? It's New York! It can't be _your city._ And even if it was, no one knows everything about New York."

"Don't believe me? Then let me prove it to you. You doing anything on Saturday?"

"Uh…I don't really—I'm not gay?" I tried to come off like I was sure of myself, but it came off more like I was looking for any excuse.

He frowned for a second. "Really? You're not gay?"

"No."

He got closer to me. "Really really?"

"Wha-no! And get out of my face!" I blushed again.

Closer. "Why are you blushing? Are you embarrassed?" Smirk.

I blushed harder, but tried to brush it off. "Pff, why would I be embarrassed?"

He got a positively devious twinkle in his eye and leaned in closer to me, until he was past my face and next to my ear. I could feel his breath tickling my neck.

"Why?" he whispered, "…Because you're gay, and you like me."

I shot away from him, nearly falling off the bar stool in the process, and gave him a harsh glare. It was rendered ineffective, presumably due to the blush that I could still feel burning against my face.

"This is-that was-That was sexual harassment! You can't just, get all close to people like that!"

He laughed again. "I wouldn't have even tried anything, if you weren't so cute and so obviously gay."

"I'm a man, I'm not cute," I growled.

"So can I take it you're gay then?" he asked, the devious glint returning to his eyes.

"Huh? NO! I-ah, whatever. It's none of your business whether I am or not."

The smile disappeared. "Ah, I suppose you're right about that…but in case you do decide to tell me, here's my number. Call me, alright, Alexander?" His hand had already scrawled writing on a napkin and thrust the object toward me.

And with that he left, nearly sashaying out of the bar. I was left, there, dazed. After a while I turned back to the bar, looking at the offensive napkin and my forgotten beer.

'_No way I'm going to call him. No. Way. I mean, the only reason I was so interested in him was because he was wearing an electric blue jacket! And he played the piano well, which is cool! That's the only reason he was so impressive…'_ I mentally sighed again. I _was_ attracted to him, but he was just too…over the top. Getting in my face like that, accusing me of being gay, pushing me for answers, I wasn't comfortable with any of that. Magnus made me uncomfortable, pushed me out of my safety box. If I dated him, it would just be more of that, which I didn't want. _'So, I won't call him. At all. I'll forget, he'll forget, and that will be that.'_

I paid for my drink and left the bar, leaving the napkin behind. On the way back to my dorm, I wondered whether I was really _that obvious_ about my sexuality. The thought made me shiver. I had only admitted to _myself_ I was gay two years before, and was not publically out of the closet at all. What Magnus had said had shaken me, more than I thought it would.

As I entered my dorm room, walked through the kitchen, and laid down for bed, his words and the piano music echoed in my head, the image of his crooked smile burned into my retinas.

XxXxX

2 Months Later

My life continued. I went to classes as normal; studied as normal; worked as normal. When I went to that restaurant's bar I did not see Magnus again, and could not decide if I was relieved or disappointed. Perhaps it was both.

I had pushed my encounter with him to the back of my mind. The memory grew weaker and fainter from the passage of time; to the point I no longer worried about whether my sexuality was noticeable.

I was startled when I got a call, out of the blue, from my father. He had been grooming me to take over as head of the bank by the time he retired, making sure I got promotions and met with important people while working there part time, but my official internship was not to begin until this summer, when I would be done with all my prerequisite classes for graduation.

"_Alexander, good. You answered. I want you to meet with one of our traders. Him and I were going to discuss our next quarter's stock and bond purchases, but I can't make it. I want you to meet with him instead, it will be good for you."_

"Dad, I can't do that! I don't even work at the full time yet!"

"_Relax, I'll give you the portfolio with my selections. If he recommends something else, write them down and bring them back to me. We can have multiple meetings, son. This will be good for you, considering you'll be doing it on your own soon enough."_

"Uh huh, if you say so dad. When should I stop by to pick up the folder? And where is the meeting?"

"_Come by around four o'clock. I'll tell you everything then."_

"Fine, bye." I heard a click on the other line. I pulled the phone from my ear. _'Eesh. I really don't want to go. Hell, I don't even want to __**be**__ a banker. But, whatever. Too late to turn back now…'_

I looked at my watch. _'3:15. I should probably leave now, New York is always busy.'_

I walked briskly out of my flat and into the windy city. It was early autumn, so the weather was a bit too chilly for my taste, but not so cold that one would need a heavy coat.

As I exited the bank, twenty minutes later and with papers in hand, I reviewed the address I was given and began heading in the appropriate direction.

'_So I'm meeting with the 'Wizard of Wallstreet', huh? God, what the hell is dad thinking, giving me a job like this?! This guy manages our investments for the freaking year! Not to mention it's a $150 million portfolio…I don't have the credentials to do this.' _I thought to myself. _'Honestly, what__** is**__ dad thinking? There must be twelve other Johns in the bank itself that could do a better job than me, not to mention the entire board would never approve this, if dad wasn't so damn good at his job.'_

As I was silently fuming, I got to the restaurant that was our designated meeting place. I pulled open the door, giving my name to the waitress standing by the door.

"Lightwood."

"Ah, Mr. Lightwood! Yes, come this way please!" She had a nasally voice that sounded more shrill than welcoming. I preferred rich, smooth baritones…

"_**Oh, I know everything about my city. Everything." **_

I shook my head, clearing the thought away. There was no use thinking about it now, he was long gone.

I sat there for thirty minutes, and was beginning to become annoyed, occasionally turning my head to look at the door to see if anyone was coming in. Peeved, I took a long sip from my water. Then I heard the waitress talking.

"Oh, Lightwood? Yes, he's right over there. Yes, no trouble sir, someone will be with you in a moment!"

'_So he's finally here. Jesus, took him long enough. No way I standing up to meet him.'_ I heard him approaching and sighed, trying to calm myself down enough to be civil to him. After all, he could "accidentally" make a shitty investment that cost the bank millions of dollars.

"Sorry I'm late, I was tied up and I-"

He paused, and I opened my eyes, only to freeze.

"…Alexander? _Alexander Lightwood,_" he asked.

I nodded dumbly, in shock.

Meanwhile, his face broke into a huge grin that once again dazzled me. "I'm Mr. Bane. _Magnus_ Bane. I look forward to doing business with you."


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hey all! Glad that you have all liked this story (it's a bit weird, so I was wondering if anyone would even like it…). I just wanted to say though DON'T EXPECT UPDATES THIS FAST. I had a really empty weekend this weekend and was able to write a lot, but that is NOT A COMMON THING. So, thanks for understanding. Lol. Thanks to all the people who reviewed, faved, and watched! It means a lot to me and it's what inspires me to write! Note: I also need a Beta-reader, so the first to respond will get the job. Thanks!

**Guest One: Yep, hopefully they will. And I think Alec is adorable. It's actually not, but I suppose it does look a bit like him (it's actually Saix from Kingdom Hearts II)**

**Guest 2: Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**SecretlyANinja98: Thanks so much for not one, but two reviews! And thank you for all the wonderful feedback! This is how I picture Alec, actually, so I'm glad he's coming across as believable! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

Warnings: Language, (eventual) mentions of sex/implication, that's it

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments series or its characters. If I did, it would be Magnus/Alec centric, and they most certainly wouldn't have broken up. Sob.

Chapter 2

_Meanwhile, his face broke into a huge grin that once again dazzled me. "I'm Mr. Bane. _Magnus _Bane. I look forward to doing business with you."_

"Wha-Hey! What the hell are you doing here?!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, so you _do _remember me. I'm glad," he answered, sliding fluidly into the seat across from me.

"Of course I remember you!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice down. "You're that creepy guy who likes to get in people's faces and accuse them of having…questionable sexualities."

His eyes widened slightly, but then he began laughing. "Of course, right. Man, I forgot how cute you were." I blushed. "You know, I'm really not that bad. S'not like I'm a registered sex offender or anything….I just saw a good opportunity!"

'_Good opportunity to what, freak me out? Eesh, what's with this creep?'_

"Uh huh. Right. So, how'd you find me? You stalking me or something? 'Cause if so, I need you to get out of here. I'm meeting with a really important guy soon, and you're sort of in his seat," I said.

"What? Oh, geez, you New Yorkers are so paranoid. Why would I be stalking you? You made it pretty clear you weren't interested when you didn't call me back," he said, looking slightly annoyed.

"…I'm from New Jersey," I pointed out, lamely.

"Whatever. Even more so then. The point is I'm not stalking you. I _am_ the guy you're supposed to meet with. Here, my card."

I took it from his outstretched, well-lotioned hand. _'Magnus Bane, Stock Broker? No way…'_ I looked down at the card in disbelief.

"See? I'm the real deal. Believe me now?"

I looked up at him, then back at the card, and then back at him. My eyes narrowed. "You mean to tell me, that you, a professional trader, were _30 minutes late_ for a meeting with your _most important client?!"_ My voice had taken a harsh tone as I spit out the words to him. '_The hell does he think he is?! That's so unprofessional!'_

He held up his hands in mock defense. "Sorry, sorry!" _'Sorry my ass.'_ "Something came up, and I didn't have your number, so I couldn't call you. I _did_ call Mr. Lightwood himself, but he said he wouldn't be meeting with me, you would. So, I just tried to get here quickly." He looked apologetic.

"Whatever. Let's just get started," I said.

He nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me."

I went over the investments that we were trying to make, and he snatched the folder from my hands, his eyes skimming over it. Somewhere during that time the waiter came to take our orders. I was about to settle on a small salad when he said:

"You might as well order dinner, it's nearly five o'clock." He didn't even look up at me while saying it. "He'll have the sea bass." He pointed a finger in my direction at he said it.

"Hey, don't order for me!" I was ignored.

"I'll have the steak, my usual," he continued.

"Of course, thank you. Would you like anything else?"

He looked up from the documents, almost past me. "A glass of the Adelsheim Pinot would be lovely. And…the Chardonnay for him, I suppose. That's all." He looked back down.

As the waitress walked away, I considered getting up and tapping him on the shoulder to make him look up. "Hey, why'd you order for me? I'm not five. I know what I like. And I don't like wine."

His head rose from the documents, and he quirked a single eyebrow up at me. The he looked back down and said, "Don't worry. You'll like this. I've had all the good things on their menu, and you'll like this."

I scoffed, not willing to argue about it. "Whatever, if I don't like it, I'm not paying," I said, turning away.

"I was going to pay anyway," he countered.

A couple of minutes passed and he was still looking at the papers. I began fidgeting. After nearly knocking over my water glass while trying to make my knife balance on top of it, he looked up.

"What's wrong; want me to pay attention to you instead of these?" The same devious glint was in his eyes, like a cat eying a toy.

I felt my face heat up again, ashamed of having been caught acting like a child in a high class restaurant. I quickly looked away from his piercing gaze and muttered, "No, no. Keep working, don't mind me."

He chuckled lightly and leaned back into his chair. "It's fine, I'm done anyway. Here, I'll go over them with you." I leaned in closer to him as he pushed the folder to the middle of the table. My blush was finally beginning to subside when he sighed and said, "You know, it really is a shame you won't give me a chance. You really are cute." My face heated right back up again.

"Just go over the stupid investments," I said.

He smirked, but then began. "Alright, so, you have lots of investments here that will continue to stay safe. However, I see you're trying to move into bonds. It's fine, but you'll be losing money."

I looked at him, incredulously, "The stock market's turning, why would we put more in stocks?"

"Because consumers don't know it's turning yet. Come on, stocks are consumer driven. You still have another year before they start slowing down, because the Fed is still keeping interest low. Think about it. The Fed has the interest down, because they're trying to expand the economy. However, we haven't seen any market really take off yet. You know what that means?" He looked at me, as if expecting an answer. I had none to give, so he went on. "It means that the big spike hasn't happened yet. The economy will be going somewhere big soon. You won't stay in forever, 'cause you'd have to get out before inflation kicks in, but you could make a fair amount if you don't chicken out like everyone else is right now," he finished.

"But, what happens if it never takes off? If it just stays like this?" I asked.

"Then you still make more than you'll make in bonds. Believe me, it would be better to stay in."

I gave him a pointed look. "That's easy for you to say, it's not your money. You're risk free."

"It's not your money either," he countered, "And besides, it's not risk free. If I lose you money, my company loses you. We lose you, I lose my job. I have risk."

"Hmm. Alright, I'll bring this info to my dad. I'm not in a decision-making position anyway."

"Good. Then we're done, I suppose," he said.

Soon after our food came. We spent the time talking.

"So, why were you playing the piano at that restaurant?"

"Oh, Woosley's musician was sick. So, I offered to do it for him."

"How long have you been a trader?"

"A couple years. I'm not going to do it forever, it's only so I have enough money for later."

"What will you do later, then?"

"New question, that's a secret."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Blue. Like your eyes."

"…Shut up."

We finished our food, and sat, enjoying the ambiance. I was surprised by how well the fish and wine had gone together, being someone who often didn't have much appreciation for wine _or_ fish. I looked around, and then at my watch. '_7:15. It's beginning to get late…'_ I turned back to look at Magnus, only to find him staring at me intensely.

"What?" I asked.

His head cocked to the side slightly. "Why _won't _you go out with me? Did I intimidate you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Not this again. Look, I'm not gay."

He looked almost angry. "Then stop looking at me like that!"

"Looking at you like what?" _'What is he talking about?'_

"Like you like me! I feel you looking at me, and then when I look at you you turn away and blush like crazy! It's driving me nuts, because you're sending all the right signals, but ignoring my advances."

I blinked. Twice. Then I began blushing again. "I don't-"

"You're doing it again! So what's the real reason you won't go out with me, because I know it's not that you're straight."

'_This isn't fair to him, he's not just playing with me. I have to give him a serious answer here.'_"Alright! I—I _may_ like you. A bit. But you're way to out there for me. I, I'm not even out yet. I—I can't." I answered in a quiet, rushed voice. Somehow the admittance of my attraction to him felt like a load of my chest. "Besides, we don't even know each other, it's just physical attraction."

He looked at me with an even gaze. "So you won't go out with me because…you're afraid of the possibilities?"

I glared at him. "You know what, yes! Alright? Yes. I hate the fact that I'm gay and that I'm never going to be normal. If I went out with you, I'd be accepting the fact that I'm gay and telling everyone about it. I'm not ready for that. My parents would disown me, people would shun me…I can't deal with that!" _'Now will you leave me alone?!'_ Part of me couldn't believe I had told him all that, but another part of me had been so desperate for human contact, for someone to spill my fears to. This man had offered his ear, had pried, had offered himself to me, and it caused my fears and uncertainties and anxieties to come bubbling up. I had opened up the heart I had kept shielded for so long, and from it all the self-loathing I had harbored throughout the years spilled out.

"I would never shun you, if you gave me a chance. I would accept you, cherish you. And there's nothing wrong with being gay. Love is love."

I looked at him, wondering if he was lying, looking for deceit. "Why do you even care? I'm one guy. Our meeting was complete chance."

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm not really sure myself…I guess, something about you just draws me to you. If feel like you're special. I feel like if I let you go I'll end up regretting it."

"That's a bit creepy."

He laughed. "It's not creepy, it's romantic! Haven't you ever read a good fairytale? It's all destiny and love-at-first-sight and that jazz,"

"So you love me? This is destiny?" I looked skeptical.

"No, of course not. Like you said, I don't know you. But I'd like to see if I _could _love you. Aren't you the least bit curious to see how far we could go? I mean, we obviously have chemistry. Tonight went well and we weren't even trying," he said.

'_Yes. I'm curious.'_ "I don't think—It wouldn't be appropriate! You work for my father, you know."

"I work _with_ your father, not for him. Besides, he'd never find out, not before you want him to."

"I'm not comfortable with the idea of us going 'out' in public."

"That will come with time."

"I dress like a hobo."

"I can _easily_ fix that."

I tried to think of more excuses, more reasons to say no, but the more he shot them down, the more appealing his offer was. _'I mean, he's gorgeous. And what could one date hurt? It's not like I'll marry him. Maybe…maybe it would be good, to see what dating is like, to learn. It's just an experience. One experience. What are you so scared of?'_

"I—I…um," I began stuttering.

"Friday. I'll take you to dinner. Six o'clock. Okay?" He had his crooked grin on his face, as if he knew I wasn't going to turn him down. I watched him paying the check. _'When did he even ask for that?'_

"But, you don't know where I live!"

"That's alright. Here, you can text me your info. My number." He had written it on his card and pushed it toward me. "Listen, sweetheart, I have to go. I have a cat waiting for me at home who demands feeding and have a previously scheduled engagement. But I had fun tonight, despite it being a _business meeting_."

I nodded, and watched him turn to go. Before he could fully walk away from the table he turned toward me and said,

"Oh, and one last thing? Don't flake out on me this time, and actually _call me?_" Then he continued to walk away through the door and out into the city. I watched him go.

I looked at the card set on the table for a long time. I wanted to call him, to learn about him, but there was a small voice in my head that echoed on and on, voicing all my fears. _'Someone will find out. Your parents will know. He'll abandon you. He'll betray you. You'll get hurt.'_ I got up from the table, taking the card in one hand, the folder in the other.

I walked back to my apartment slowly, thinking about Magnus. Every time I saw him, I thought about him. He wormed his way into my head, made me feel…different. I wasn't sure whether it was bad or good, just knew it was different. I thought about his smile, his eyes, _his voice._ Everything about him fascinated me, drew me in. Despite the fact that I tried to hide it and conceal it, he saw through me. It made me uncomfortable, that someone could see through me so easily, but at the same time it lit a spark in me, brought forth a desire to let go of all my fears.

I got to my building and began climbing the steps to my room. I was too tired to return the folder to my father, too shaken. _'I'll return it to him tomorrow.'_ As I entered the room I saw my roommate had returned.

He looked up at me and flashed me a brilliant smile. He was dashingly handsome, like one of those "Prince Charming" characters in a novel. He had the personality to match, as well.

"Alec! You're back! I was wondering if you'd ever come back," he said.

"Jace, believe it or not I have a life outside of holding the fort for us." _Jace._ That was the name I whispered to myself in the dark of the night, the name that echoed through my head when I wished it wouldn't. He was my first love, but also my best friend and my partner. Naturally it was an unspoken love. I would not risk his friendship for anything.

"Ah, so your dad made you do something," he said with a crooked smile.

"Whatever, Jace. How is Clary?" I asked. Clary was his high school girlfriend. Petite, with fiery red hair, a good artist. Part of me wondered how she had managed to enrapture Jace, with his high standards and haughty attitude and natural ability to get girls to like him. Clary had responded to Jace almost violently at first, shooting his advances down at every turn, which naturally made her more desirable to Jace. They were a funny pair, but had a love that would last. He planned on marrying her after college, much to her mother's displeasure.

"Fine, as per usual. She has another art show in a month that I'm going to try to make it to," he replied.

I nodded, but turned away from him. "Alright. Cool. I'm tired, so I'm turning in. Don't stay up too late."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him give a half-assed salute, and rolled my eyes.

As I went into my room I dropped my father's folder on my desk and dropped heavily onto the bad, listening to the springs creak.

I held up my hand and slowly uncurled it, watching the piece of paper unfold itself before me. _Magnus Bane._

"_I would never shun you, if you gave me a chance. I would accept you, cherish you. And there's nothing wrong with being gay. Love is love."_

"Maybe it won't be so bad…."

I fished out my phone from my pocket and entered his number. Then I began typing.

"**Magnus, here's my info…I'm not giving you my address cuz no one knows where it is. Just text me the name of the place on Friday and I'll meet you there, I guess…"**

I placed the phone on my nightstand and went to take a shower. After coming back to the room I looked at my phone and saw another message.

Picking it up, I read the message aloud, "Man, you're not forthcoming, are you? Alright, meet me on 5th street by 5:15? And bring a jacket with you."

I texted back. _**"**_**alright, c u then. G'night**_**."**_ Send.

'_Maybe that was awkward…I'm so not good at this.'_ But I was excited, despite myself. I was less anxious than I thought I would be. I lay down again and put my hands behind my head, looking up at the ceiling. I heard a buzz next to my head and turn, seeing the phone vibrating on the table.

I picked it up. **"**_**Good Night, Alexander."**_ I unconsciously smiled, almost seeing his lips move as he said it. I turned off my phone and went to bed.

After all, Friday was only three days away.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: Hey all! Thanks for taking the time to read my note! I appreciate it, and it means a lot. I just wanted to address this: there will be _mentions_ of sex in the story. Not outright. This is not because I am not comfortable writing smut, but more because the story is from Alec's P.o.V. and I…am not a guy. It would therefore be weird for me to write about sex from a guy's perspective. So…ya. No [explicit] smex in the story. However, if you guys want, once we get to that point in the story I can write a stand-alone love scene that is from 3rd person, not 1st. Again, **still need a beta.** And review! The more reviews I get, the faster I update. Thanks once again to all who fave'd and watched the story, and to my reviewers: I love you all. So much.

And has anyone seen Cassie Clare's Malec spoiler pic on her Tumblr for City of Heavenly Fire?! I wanted to cry tears of happiness! SO many feels, I don't even. I literally felt like I would explode when I saw that (for those that haven't seen it…GO FIND IT. IT WILL MAKE YOU LOVE LIFE AGAIN).

**LilParfaite: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**DonJohn: Thanks for the encouragement. I tend to second guess myself.**

**Guest: D'aww, thanks! I wanted to capture what I thought their characters would be if they weren't warlocks/shadowhunters, good to hear they're believable.**

**merlotte456: Thanks! I view Magnus as a flirty but classy guy, so I'm glad it's coming across.**

Warnings: Language, (eventual) mentions of sex/implication, that's it

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments series or its characters. If I did, it would be Magnus/Alec centric, and they most certainly wouldn't have broken up. Sob.

**Chapter 3**

_I picked it up. __**"Good Night, Alexander."**__ I unconsciously smiled, almost seeing his lips move as he said it. I turned off my phone and went to bed._

_After all, Friday was only three days away._

Three days. I had waited three days. I was _excited_, and by the time Friday came I had seriously begun to piss myself off. I mean, really, I wasn't some love-struck schoolgirl who had been asked to prom by her "_high school crush." _I was a man! Yet, here I was, acting as if my date with Magnus was the only thing I had to look forward to. It was pathetic.

'_After all, it's only one date…'_ Tch. Easy for me to say, considering I had never even been on a date with anyone before then. Up until that point, there was only one person who I wanted to kiss, hold; who I even thought about romantically. _'Jace…'_

I knew it wouldn't work. He had a girlfriend-not just any random girl, but the one that he thought was his _soul mate_. Clary. And even before that, girls had swarmed to him like bees to honey—I was so obviously out of my league when it came to him. Really, I was setting myself up for disappointment. I knew that, and yet…

There was something different about Jace. Jace's smile had the power to light up a room and he knew it. There was an air of easy confidence that drew me in, and he had the quickest tongue I had ever heard_. _He was fiercely loyal, brave, funny….But that wasn't what drew me to him. No. There was something else that kept me drawn: A dark glint in his eye that hinted the world he saw was a little bit uglier, a little bit harsher, than the world everyone else knew. He was wounded, and I had been there to help him. That was what kept me hoping and dreaming: the fact that I had the power to take that darkness away from him—to comfort him. I was his best friend, his partner…he trusted me more than anyone. I had seen his eyes light up, seen the clouds part from his face, and what I saw then, _the real Jace_, had been the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

It didn't hurt that he had one of the most handsome faces on the planet, of course. Anyone, Jace included, could probably stare at him for hours. I envied Jace that, to be sure. He was always sure of himself, always happy to be the center of attention. I, on the other hand, was a natural wall flower. With my ripped hoodies and black pants, my faded shirts and long hair, I could easily blend into any background. That was where I was most comfortable, and so I envied guys that could throw themselves into any old party, club, or building and still be completely at ease.

'_Especially with their bright clothes and spiked hair and earrings and cat-y eyes and…wait. Hold up. Magnus?'_ My eyebrows furrowed together. When had I stopped thinking about Jace and started thinking about Magnus? _'I mean, they're completely different, right?'_ I was about to mentally compare the two when I felt a vibrating in my pocket.

I yanked out my phone, about to snap at whoever was calling me, but then saw it was an alarm.

_Date-5:15._ I glanced at my watch on my arm. _'4:50'_

"Shit! I'm going to be late! Gah, what should I wear?!" I shouted to myself, scrambling to my dresser to try to find a more suitable outfit.

I must have caused enough ruckus jumping about my room, trying to get different pants on, that Jace heard, because the next thing I knew I heard feet coming down the hall and my door being opened.

"Alec, 'the hell are you doing?" Jace asked.

"What does it look like? I'm dressing!"

"Dressing? For what? What could you possibly…oh. Oh! You have a date! Look at you, hot stuff." He began snickering at me, the ass.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. No, how do I look? Okay?" I asked.

"Wait, you can't be serious. I figured you hadn't changed. Are you seriously going to a date looking like _that?_" He looked incredulous.

"Uh, yeah. Why? What's wrong with it?" I quirked an eyebrow as I asked.

Jace slowly put his head in his hands, and began talking slowly to me, as if I were a child. "Alec, you look exactly the same as you always do!"

"I do not! This shirt is new." It was. It was a long-sleeved black shirt without any holes in it. "And the pants are pretty good too."

"Jesus, you're hopeless. Take off your clothes, I'll lend you some of mine," he ordered.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Look, Alec, you're a bright guy, but you're stupid when it comes to fashion, so just take my word on this. Any girl in the world you date wearing that, with the exception of the homeless and goths, would _not_ call you back for a second date. Ever. Now, come on, let's change your clothes.

After an eternity of changes and adjustments Jace stepped back, looking me up and down. I felt my face begin to heat up under his gaze, but quickly forced it back down.

"Man, I'm good. You look like you're first string lacrosse, now." Jace was obviously happy with his handiwork.

"I am first string lacrosse, Jace. We're on the team together in college," I said as he led me to the mirror in his room.

"I know, but now you _look_ it. You normally look like a depressed theater nerd, or something. There, take a look."

I glared at him for the theater-nerd comment and, seeing it wasn't phasing him at all, looked in the mirror.

"Wha—Jace, I look weird." I was wearing a button down shirt in a dark red-ish color and slacks. With _loafers._ And a _cardigan_. It…was not me, at all.

"You look great."

"What did you do to my hair?" It had been combed back, leaving my face clear of its bangs. I felt over exposed and not in the least bit comfortable.

"Chicks like it when guys comb their hair back." I wanted to mention that I didn't _care_ what "chicks liked," but rather wanted to impress a certain tall oriental _man._

I looked at my watch.

"Five o'clock?! Jace! You—I—I'm going to be so late! Ugh, when I get back I'm gonna kill you!" I shouted as I ran out the door, grabbing my coat as I left.

After nearly tripping five times I made it to the bottom of the stairwell, cursing the maker of the loafers as I went.

I burst out of the apartment complex onto the sidewalk and began running towards Fifth Street.

I could feel my muscles beginning to tire as I rounded the fourth block, looking for a street sign.

"Eighth Street, huh? How much…time…do I have?" I panted, looking at my watch. _'5:14. Shit.'_

"Right…time to…keep going." I inhaled deeply, noticing some of my hair had fallen back down while I ran. I shook my head, bringing my hair back into its normal position, and then continued running.

After another seven minutes I was breathing heavily and slightly sweaty, but had made it to the corner of fifth. _'I'm only five minutes late. Good.'_ I leaned against a building to catch my breath for a while and then rounded the corner to look for Magus, once my heart rate had slowed back to normal.

I saw him waiting, with one hand in his pocket, and the other tapping at his phone screen. I walked over to him.

Something must have caught his eye by me because he turned in my direction and saw me. His face lit into one of those dazzling smiles that I liked.

"Alec! I was slightly worried you wouldn't show! You're late, you know," he said, though the words were spoken without malice.

"Wha—Am I really…that late?"

"I have 5:35 on my phone, but it's alright, no big," he flashed another one of those hypnotic smiles at me.

"Oh my god, I'm…so sorry. My watch must be…slow," I said, still slightly trying to catch my breath.

Magnus must have heard my slightly labored breathing, because then he asked, "Oh, did you run here? You didn't have to do that! I would have waited another five minutes, you know."

I nodded. "But…somehow, being late for a first date seems wrong."

He chuckled lightly, saying, "Well, then, aren't you noble. I'm flattered, sweetheart."

I blushed. "Don't—don't call me sweetheart."

"Too soon? Alright. So, are you hungry?" He asked, coming to stand beside me.

"Uh, a little. I'll probably get hungry within the next thirty minutes, so I could eat now," I said.

"Excellent. I know a great place. Well, then, shall we?"

I smiled. "Lead the way."

The restaurant was very out of the way, a small hole-in-the-wall in Chinatown. We had to take a cab to get there and then walk around in the market, before arriving at the shop that had a restaurant on the second floor. We climbed up and Magnus called out something in what I assumed was Mandarin, and suddenly a man came, ushering us in.

Although I was apprehensive about the restaurant when I first stepped in, the smells coming in from the kitchen erased any fear of quality I might have had. We were sat at a table, tucked away in a corner, and served tea which had flowers in it. It felt nice, after having been in the crisp New York evening air for a while. I shrugged of my coat and let it fall to the bottom of the chair seat. When I looked up, I found Magnus staring at me.

"What?"

"You just look…different, than you did the last two times I saw you. The first time it was in a hoodie and jeans, and then in a suit, which was obviously not yours." He rested his chin on his hand, elbows on the table.

"I—well, they're not my clothes. Jace, ah, my best friend, made me change when he heard it was a date," I said, blushing. _'I knew I looked weird…'_

"Oh? Well then, you must introduce me to this friend, so I can thank him."

"Huh? Wait, you like this?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"But of course! That burgundy looks wonderful with your complexion. And brings out your eyes, strangely enough."

"Burgun-what? Oh, the shirt? Is that what it is?"

He lifted a single, elegant eyebrow. "What did you think it was?"

I gave him a pointed stare. "Red."

He looked at me like I was stupid, and then started laughing. "Red? Red?! Oh, my. _That's_ rich. Hehe." I glared at him, not getting the joke _at all._ Once he had calmed down, he looked at me, deep into my eyes. "Alec, do me a favor."

"Uh, sure, okay."

"Tell me what I'm wearing."

I snorted. "What, and have you laugh at me? No thanks." I crossed my arms.

"Please, I really am curious as to what you'll say."

I gave him a look, seeing if he was going to burst into another fit. Then I sighed, saying "…fine."

I looked him up and down, beginning with his hair. It was a mess of spikes, with…glitter? It was styled in the same way it had been when I met him at the bar. I took note. I then moved to his face, and looked at his eyes. _'Is that eyeliner I see? Hmm.'_

I kept going down, checking things off, until I got to where the table obstructed my view. _'Brown jacket, leather? Grey vest, Blue shirt, necklaces…'_

"I know you're playing with me, but I'll go with it, since you're treating me. You're wearing a brown leather jacket, a grey vest, and a blue shirt. And copious amounts of hair gel and glitter, if that counts? I don't know."

"Oh, do you like it? I do love me some hairglitter. But back to the topic at hand—Alec, my shirt is _slate_ grey, my jacket is _chocolate _brown. And my shirt is not _blue,_ it is _cerulean._ And you are wearing a burgundy shirt, although an argument could be made for maroon, a cream cardigan, and tan slacks." Magnus looked as if he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Alright, fine. What's the point of this?"

"The point is, when I, a fashion conscious someone, sees a non-fashion conscious someone, that someone being you, I take it upon myself to educate them. Consider yourself educated. You're welcome."

'_He's teasing me…' _I laughed lightly. "Whatever."

He smiled. "You're cute when you laugh."

I instantly stopped. "Um, uh…right. Thanks, I guess."

"Why are you so nervous? This is a pretty normal date," he said, sipping his tea.

"Uh, well, it's just…I've never –this is my first date." I blurted out.

"Well, yeah, the other times we met don't really count as dates," he said. I looked away, blushing. "Wait, you mean, this is your first date _ever_? How is that even possible?" He looked surprised.

"Well excuse me for not having the balls to ask a guy out earlie—"

Magnus held up a hand. "That's not the way I meant it. It's just, you're so handsome. Really, I'm surprised I'm the first guy that's gone for you, is all."

"What are you talking about? I'm nothing special, I'm just a guy," I said.

Magnus looked at me, almost sadly, saying "Sweetie, you must not clean your mirrors all that often, because I wouldn't have asked you out at all if you hadn't met my standards, and I have _very_ high standards."

I didn't know what to say, so I redirected the conversation back to him. "That seems a bit shallow, doesn't it?"

He shrugged. "Call it what you like. Everyone has something they look for in a partner, and I've been spoiled rotten in the looks department. Although, you have all my favorite traits wrapped up rather nicely," he said, nearly leering at me towards the end.

I decided to play along. "Oh? And what are those, exactly?"

"Oh, the usual, I guess. Honest, straightforward…_and _you have those killer eyes and black hair. That's my favorite combination."

"Oh, uh…thanks, I guess."

He continued. "That's why I was taken aback, when you told me you were a Lightwood. I didn't know there were blue eyes in your family at all."

"Uh, yeah. I'm the only one, everyone else has green eyes. I mean, maybe one of my grandparents had blue eyes or something, but I'm the only one whose still around that has them. Or, at least in my immediate family, and…I'm rambling. Sorry." _'God, Alec, why are you __**so awkward**__?'_

"I don't mind. You seemed to finally be opening up. Hey, where _is _the waiter?" He turned in his chair, looking annoyed, and made a beckoning gesture with his hand to the waiter sitting at a table. Then he sighed, turning back to me, and said, "Sorry, this place is somewhat informal. But the food is amazing, I promise. It makes up for the sometimes _questionable_ service." As he said the word questionable he narrowed his eyes at the waiter who was coming our way.

The he began talking in the same language he had in the beginning, directly to the waiter. I sat there, lost, trying to follow what was happening, and then the waiter suddenly walked away. I turned to Magnus.

"So, what language was that? Mandarin?" I asked.

"Oh, not quite. It's Cantonese. The people here don't speak Mandarin, and my Mandarin is spotty, at best," he replied.

"Oh. Uh, can you speak many languages, then?" I asked, trying to keep a conversation going. _'Not, one of my strong suits, but…'_

"Well, let's see…I speak five, no, six languages. Yeah, six. Seven, including pig latin, but most people don't include that."

My eyes widened. "Six?! How?"

"Well, I was born in Indonesia, so I speak Indonesian. I went to school in Europe, and I learned English, French, Spanish, and German there. Cantonese came somewhere along the way. Why, you impressed or something?"

I blushed lightly. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's like an art, isn't it? I can only speak one language, but you can communicate with _billions_ of people. That's kind of a big deal, at least to me," I said, softly.

"So did you not take a language in high school?"

I scoffed. "Oh, I did, alright. Not that it will help me talk with anyone, since it was Latin."

Magnus' eyebrows shot up. "Latin? That's cool."

"Not really. My father is a huge Latin buff, said learning it was the best decision he made in high school. Naturally I took it because I thought it would make him happy."

"Did it?"

I shrugged. "Who knows? Who _cares?_ The point is, I could have learned an entire language, been able to experience a different part of the world, and I wasted it on Latin."

He smiled. "You sure are passionate about languages. Let me hear some."

I gave him a look. "I just told you it was a dead language, it's not really spoken."

The smile widened. "So, we'll bring it back from the dead! Come on, just a bit."

I sighed and muttered, "_Latina est inutilis_."

Magnus frowned, as if concentrating. "Latin…is useless? That it?"

I nodded in affirmation.

"Hmm, you know, Alexander, I bet if you really wanted to learn, Spanish would be a cinche for you. They're really similar."

"Really?"

"Well, of course. How else would I have known what you just said? Hey, food! Great. You hungry?"

I looked down. There was a single pot placed in front of us, and two bowls quickly followed. _'Hmm.'_

"Alright. I'll explain. What we have right now is the broth. We decide what goes in, like beef, pork, fish, noodles, lotus. Whatever."

"Uh-huh."

He paused and waited for a while. _'Does he want me to say something?'_ "Uh…yeah?"

"So, what do you like?"

"Oh! Uh, right. Sorry. I don't know, what's good? I eat anything."

"Well, fish and beef are always good in this. Shrimp's pretty good too. And spinach. They're all good."

"The let's get that."

He rested his chin on his fist, looking at me. "You really don't care what we get?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I trust you, I'm sure it'll be good."

He smiled and called the waiter over again, I assume telling him the ingredients we wanted. The waiter nodded and went off.

"I'm glad we're doing this Alexander."

My left eye twitched slightly. "Don't call me that."

He quirked his head, so I went on. "Alexander. Don't call me that. That's what my parents call me when they're mad at me."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Alec. Just Alec. Everyone calls me that. Hearing you call me Alexander…it's just weird."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

I shook my head again, and said, "Don't worry. It's not a big deal. I should have told you before, I guess."

"Good. But back to what I was saying, I'm having a good time." He looked as if there was something more he wanted to say.

"But…?" I asked.

"Well, are you? I can't really tell. You're not that easy to read, Alec."

"You serious? People tell me they can see through me before I even say anything."

"Well, I can tell when you're embarrassed, sure. I mean, there's been plenty of that tonight. But I can't tell if it's the good kind or the bad kind of embarrassment." He looked right into my eyes when he was talking, and I was struck by their color. _'What a pretty shade of green…like a cat's.'_

"I…" I stopped, and looked at the floor. When I looked back up, I smirked playfully at him. "Well, I guess it all depends on how good the food is, huh?"

He smiled back at me. "Oh, well then. I guess this is going to go very well indeed.

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry! I totally wanted to get their first kiss into this chapter, but before I knew it I had written 9 full pages and wasn't even half-way done with the date! I wanted this fic to have a reasonably steady word count, so I figured that was a good place to stop…I understand if you all want to hit me though. But hey, I can get the next chap out lickety-split if you all…REVIEW! That's write, reviews are literally my fuel. I really love 'em. So, please Please PLEASE review, kay? Luv y'all.**

**Second: I do not speak latin. I speak German and a bit of Japanese (and English), but NOT LATIN. So, I apologize if the latin is completely wrong, and if you know how to correct it message me and I'll change it pronto.**

**Third: In my story Alec likes Jace. He will not _always_ like Jace, but he will for the time being. I want to stay somewhat true to the books in terms of character interactions and relationships—that is also why I'm having Alec meet Magnus halfway. Magnus only chased Alec so long in the books before he got fed up. So yeah, that's why they are the way they are. Please, if you think they're coming across as totally awkward, REVIEW AND TELL ME. I want this story to be believable, and since it's my first serious fanfic in years I really don't have loads of confidence in my characterizations.**

**Last: Thanks for reading! Ja ne~!**


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hey, all! First off, I just wanted to apologize for not warning you that this chapter would be later. As some of you may know, AP exams on the East Coast take place in May, and I had 5 to study for, so I stopped working on this to study for them (since I need to go to college…lol). But yeah, that's what happened. I'm not abandoning the story, don't worry. I will try to warn you in the future when I won't be updating for a while (note: finals _are_ coming up, so don't expect many updates in June). Ahem, now about the last chapter. No one commented that the Latin was wrong, so I assume it's correct? Maybe? I sure hope so (don't be afraid to point out issues, guys. I hate typos and things like that…).

On a second note, I have 22 followers (I know that's not that many compared to some other stories out there, but hey, it's a lot for me)! _And _15 reviews! I am really grateful for all the support I've gotten for this story—but I'd be even happier if I could get MORE reviews and followers and faves, so if you like the story, please [continue to] show me support! Thanks!

I still need a beta. K thanks.

**merlotte456: Thanks a bundle, here's the rest of it!**

**Guest: Aw, thanks! Alec can be sophisticated if he tries!**

**InMySoul: Eh, no promises (don't worry, there WILL be a happy ending, but that's all I'm saying!)**

**Cheeva: Thanks! I think Alec is adorbs. And don't worry, I'm getting there. I have to set up the exposition first, though. Hehe.**

** : Thanks! Enjoy this next part!**

**thetruthmechanism: It's fine, feel free to leave another *hint hint* Sorry this update took so long!**

**xShigurayuuna: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so much!**

Warnings: Language, (eventual) mentions of sex/implication, that's it

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments series or its characters. If I did, it would be Magnus/Alec centric, and they most certainly wouldn't have broken up. Sob.

**Chapter 4**

"_I…" I stopped, and looked at the floor. When I looked back up, I smirked playfully at him. "Well, I guess it all depends on how good the food is, huh?"_

_He smiled back at me. "Oh, well then. I guess this is going to go very well indeed."_

"Ahhhh." I sighed, stretching my hands above my head, waiting for my back to crack. When I heard the "_pop" _I wanted, I lowered my arms so my hands rested at my sides. The wind started messing up my hair, so I whipped it out of my eyes with a flick of my head, and then turned to Magnus.

"I still can't get over how freaking _good_ that was, Magnus," I smiled at him brightly.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, what did I say? They know how to cook."

"Well, _I'm_ impressed. There aren't a lot of good cooks in my family."

"Oh? Not even a sister or your mother?"

I laughed. "Oh, believe me, our sister is the worst out of all of us. She's the only one who can't seem to figure out that she can't cook."

"It can't be that bad." Magnus said, snickering.

"Yes. Yes, it can, in fact, be '_that bad.'_ Unless you don't consider burning pasta an indication of cooking ability," I said, seeing the charred noodles in my head as I spoke.

Magnus seemed to find this funny, as he laughed after hearing the story. "How did she burn the pasta? You boil it in water!"

"Lord knows I don't know. Honestly, I try not to even think about it."

We continued walking in a comfortable, momentary silence. We had left the restaurant nearly fifteen minutes earlier and were walking around the city without any particular purpose (or at least, that's what I thought—I didn't know whether Magnus had made plans to go somewhere after our meal or not). Suddenly my hand was grabbed and I was being led at a more hurried pace.

"Come on, I know where we're going to go now," said Magnus.

I nearly had to jog to keep up with his elongated strides. "Where?" I asked, curious.

He let go of my hand once I began keeping steady pace with him. "Have you ever been to the dock area?"

"By Wall Street? No. It's all financial area down there, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yep! That's the beauty of it, Alec. See, all the guys that work down there don't give it the time of day, and there aren't a whole lot of people hanging around at this time. And we're going somewhere a bit closer to the World Trade Center, not really Wall Street. Specifically, we'll be near the World Financial Center."

"What are we gonna do, swim?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, silly. Although, I do have a boat down there."

"Wait, what?! We're boating? But it's almost night time! And these clothes aren't mine to get wet," I protested.

Magnus slowed a bit, looking puzzled. "Of course we're not boating. There's a really good ice cream shop down there, and soon they'll be getting rid of all their summer flavors."

"Oh," I said, embarassed. _'Duh, of course you're not boating!'_

He continued, "Although, if you want, maybe on the next date I could take you out on the boat. During the day, and only if you wanted to, of course."

I smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Oh, so I _do_ get a second date, then. Good, good." He smirked.

"Wha—oh, pfft. Yeah. I guess you can have another, although that was an underhanded way of asking. So, what kind of boat is it?" I asked, still laughing lightly.

"Not telling. If I did, it wouldn't be mysterious, and you might not show up," he said, winking. "Now, what time is it?" He looked at his watch—his _expensive_ watch—and said, "Shit, we're not going to make it walking. And my shoes are too nice to walk another million blocks. We'll hail a cab." He walked over to the edge of the sidewalk and stuck two of his fingers in his mouth, letting out a shrill whistle.

A cab pulled in front of the two of us, and Magnus opened to door, signaling for me to get it. I did, and he quickly followed, leaning up next to the driver, saying, "South End Ave, please."

As the cab drove, taking us further into Lower Manhattan, a heavy silence seemed to stretch on endlessly. I hadn't expected any different, seeing as how we could hardly act like we were on a date in the cab, but somehow I was more conscious of Magnus, now that he was silent. Spending time with him came so _easily_ to me, so naturally. I didn't feel out of place like I normally did with others. I figured dating someone would be different, somehow, and I had been nervous about it, but I felt no differently with him now than I had in our earlier meeting. _'It's…nice, spending time with him.'_

My eyes shifted to their corner, so that I could easily see Magnus' face. He was staring straight ahead, watching the road in front of us. He had a very pleasing profile; there was a pleasant curve to his cheekbones and he had a straight jaw line. From the side I could also more easily see the slight downturn to his eyes that indicated his Asian heritage.

One of his eyes flicked over to look at me, and caught me staring at him. I quickly looked away, but it was too late. I could feel Magnus' gaze studying me for a while, but eventually he looked away.

"So, you like ice cream, right? You're not allergic or anything?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh, yeah. I like it alright," I answered.

"Ah. Good, that's good…" Magnus trailed off, seemingly ending the conversation.

'_Awkward…'_

"I know, right?" he laughed next to me.

"What? Oh, jeez, did I say that out loud?" I asked.

"Yep."

"That's embarrassing," I said, grimacing slightly.

He laughed again. "Don't worry about it. At least things aren't awkward anymore, right?"

I chuckled with him. "Right."

The rest of the ride continued on in silence, albeit a much more comfortable one. _'Maybe…Magnus was nervous too?'_ I looked at him again, then turned away to the window, huffing. '_Yeah, right.'_

I watched the cab pass tall skyscrapers that were still brightly lit, some of which, I was sure, were beginning their work days. _'After all, the financial world never sleeps…'_

"Hey, there's my building! Bye, building! See you tomorrow!" Magnus made a mock wave out the window.

"Where do you work?" I asked.

"Everywhere. I move around. Mostly on the trading floor though."

'_Wait, this is the New York Stock Exchange building. I thought…'_ "Magnus, aren't you mainly in bonds?" I questioned, trying not to sound accusing.

"Um, actually no. I mainly work in stocks, but also manage some bond portfolios of companies."

"Right. And _how, _exactly, do you have enough time for all of that?"

"I work a lot."

"Uh huh. Right." I wasn't buying it, but Magnus was looking away from me. "Whatever, I won't push it. But your story seriously has some holes."

Magnus' head whipped around, eyebrows up near his hairline, as if he hadn't believed what I had just said. "Oh, uh, thanks. For not pushing it."

"Just don't get in over your head. If my dad's bank went belly up because of you, I'd feel responsible."

Magnus suddenly looked rather crestfallen. "Yeah, got it."

I continued in a quiet voice. "And, I really would like to get to know you better, but I can't do that if you're in jail. So…watch yourself, cuz'—" I cut off at the last part, blushing. I could see Magnus looked confused, so I took a deep breath and leaning close to his ear, whispering "cuzIthinkIlikeyou" in a rushed breath.

Magnus smiled brightly, his previously sullen attitude forgotten. "Yeah, definitely. Thanks, Alec."

I nodded, and looked out my window, feeling the heat in my cheeks.

"Hey, Alec?"

I grunted, still refusing to turn around.

"I think I like you too."

In the front of the cab, the driver rolled his eyes.

After another five minutes in the cab, we were near the docks. I got out and hurried to the sidewalk, wanting to feel the wind on my face. Magnus' confession kept echoing in my head. _'I think I like you too. I think I like you too.' _I heard the driver go off, so Magnus must have finished paying him. I then heard footsteps approaching me.

"Alec?"

'_I think I like you too. I think—'_

"Alec!"

I spun around. "Huh?"

"I said, we should probably get going. The shop closes at eight."

"…Okay."

As we were walking we could see the last of the sun's rays reflecting off of the waves of the bay. "It really is pretty," I said.

"Told you. This is my favorite part of Manhattan. Well, technically out on the water is my favorite part," he said. We kept on walking. Once we rounded a corner and stepped onto the boardwalk, a small shop came into view.

"That's it. Come on." Magnus sped up his pace. I followed him, looking at the boats as we passed. _'I wonder if one is his?'_ There were lots of motor boats and jet skis, but somehow none of those really suited Magnus. I looked away and continued to follow him.

Magnus pulled open the door for me and gestured for me to go through.

"Thanks." He nodded, and then followed me in. I was assaulted by a blast of frigid air and tried not to shiver. _'Maybe it's a bit too cold for ice cream…'_

A low, almost irritated voice came from behind the counter. "Hey, Magnus! I didn't think you'd come back here until next June!"

"Ragnor! You're still here. I missed you, old friend." Magnus said with a lopsided grin, and went to peek over the counter.

"Hey, hey, get out of here. Employees only!" Magnus retreated, and a figure emerged from behind the glass. "What the heck to you think—oh." His eyes suddenly flicked to me. "So you come in here thinking I'll give you free ice cream because you bring a pretty boy in with you. Well, I'll tell you a thing or two about that my friend. I won't be falling for it again, I—"

"Ragnor! Slow down. I'm not trying to get free ice cream. I'm paying for it. Promise." Magnus looked like a kid who had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

I furrowed my eyebrows. _'What is going on?'_

Magnus placed a twenty on the counter, saying, "Here. Proof. Keep the change." The man, apparently named Ragnor, snatched the bill off the counter, eyeing Magnus warily.

"…Fine. What do you want, Bane?"

Magnus turned and gestured to me. "Alec?"

"Yes?" I answered.

"Tell the nice man what flavor you want," Magnus said with a twinkle in his eye.

Ragnor scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Nice man, right. Me? Haha. Alright, we have all your normal flavors and special ones, kiddo. What do you want?"

"Uh…what constitutes a 'special flavor'?" I asked.

"They're the flavors I make when I work here. I have mint, sea salt, mango, green tea, and almost anything else you can think of."

"How is mint different than normal store mint?"

Ragnor smiled. "I use the herb mint, not the artificial mint stores use. You want that one?"

I nodded. _'It sounds interesting, at least._'

"How about you, Magnus?"

"Green Tea, as per usual," Magnus said with a flourish of his hand.

Ragnor reached for cups and proceeded to serve the ice cream, muttering something about certain people being "unadventurous."

He placed both cups on the counter. I was surprised to see that mine was white and not the cool green I was expecting.

"Just a note for you," Ragnor pointed at me, and continued, "I make my ice cream with five percent buttermilk, so it's going to be rich."

I nodded, and scooped a small amount onto a spoon and into my mouth.

'_Woah. This…is really good.'_ It was rich, but the mint flavor somehow made it refreshing? It was _very_ good ice cream.

"Hey, this is super good. Where did you get the idea for it?"

Ragnor looked surprised, and then started laughing. "Oh, Magnus, I like him! Much better than the last twat you brought in here! Anyway, I first started making ice cream when this _bozo_," he gestured to Magnus, "dragged me off to Morocco. It was so bloody hot that I pulled his into a small ice cream parlor, and the old lady there, bless her heart, gave me a full blown lesson on making it with their own natural Moroccan ingredients! Ever since then I've been experimenting with different flavors during the summer here, and then I go back to my home in England for the rest of the year."

"Don't ask him what an ice cream shop was doing in Morocco though," inserted Magnus.

"Wait, you're British? That explains it-I thought I heard a slight accent," I said.

"Eh, that's complicated. But for now, yes, I'm a Brit," said Ragnor, effectively halting the conversation.

'_Touchy…'_ I re-focused on my ice cream.

The ice cream shop was empty, except for us. Not surprising, since it was already fall and the shop was out of the way. Magnus and I sat at a table, and every now and again Magnus would call out to Ragnor, asking him to join us, to which Ragnor eventually said,

"Magnus, if you don't stop asking me to come and join you on your date, I will find your cat, and eat him. No joke."

Magnus stopped asking after that.

Eventually we finished our ice cream. I went up to the counter to buy a tub of the mango for my apartment, but when I looked over the counter at Ragnor I was startled.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Ragnor looked up, and quirked an eyebrow at me. "Yeah, why?"

"…You look sick."

"What the hell are you talking about?! I'm fine."

"No, you literally look green," I said. It was true; his skin had taken on a distinctive green-ish hue.

At that point Magnus came over and leaned in close to Ragnor, then started laughing. "He's not lying buddy, you've done it again."

Ragnor shrieked and rushed into the back, presumably to look for a mirror. A slightly muffled "God damn!" was heard from the back, but Magnus had turned me around and began pushing me towards the door.

"See you, Ragnor! Good luck getting it off your face!" Magnus shouted out as the door closed behind us.

We began walking away from the shop and back to the street. It was dark now, not quite a quarter past eight, and I could feel Magnus' shoulders shaking with laughter. I looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh, my. That's very typical Ragnor. He does that nearly every time I see him in there, you know?"

"Does what?" I asked.

"Turns himself green. See, he refuses to write in normal pens, and instead writes with this green marker that he _insists_ gives him good luck. He ends up smudging it with his hands and then gets it all over his face. Hence, green skin. I keep _telling_ him he should just write with a pencil or something."

"Uh huh."

Magnus continued, "He's not a bad guy. Just takes some getting used to. He's a bit…gruff."

"He seemed to think you're quite the troublemaker," I said.

"Oh, well, I can't blame him. The two of us have gotten into our own share of adventures. Why, there was one time, in Peru, that…well, I'll tell you that story later, maybe. It would take me a long time to go through all of it, but, long story short, I've been banned."

My eyes widened. "_Banned?!_ How can a single person be banned from an entire country?" I asked, incredulous.

"I said I'd tell you later. For now, I'd better get you home. I kept you out a bit longer than I'd planned, and I have to be in the office pretty soon," he said, flashing me a smile.

"Alright."

We hailed a cab at the main road, with another one of Magnus' ear-shattering whistles. As we drove on getting closer to where I lived, I leaned up next to the cabbie and changed the address so he'd take me home.

"Oh, you live up there?" Magnus asked.

"Yeah. It's quieter, and pretty close to work."

"It's a pretty long haul from where I met up with you. Did you walk the whole way?"

"Well, I ran most of it. I was late, remember?" I said, sheepishly.

"I'm flattered you ran all that way for me, Alec," Magnus said, smiling.

I smiled back.

"You have a nice smile," he said.

"R-really? Oh, uh, thanks," I said.

He nodded, and looked out the window.

The rest of the ride passed by quickly, and soon we were at the corner of my building. I got out, handing the cabbie money, but I was surprised to see Magnus followed me out. The cab drove off.

"Ah, you're going to have to hail another one now," I said, watching the car disappear from sight.

"It doesn't matter. It would be lame and very ungentlemanly if I didn't properly see you off," he said, tipping an imaginary hat my way.

I laughed, and said, "Do what you want."

I climbed the steps to the building and turned to face him. He had a playful look on his face.

"I had a _lovely_ time tonight, Mr. Lightwood."

I snickered, but played along. "Oh, no, Mr. Bane. The pleasure was mine."

A smile. "Might I have the honor of taking you on another outing some other time? Perhaps on my boat?"

I thought about it. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind. But next time lets go out during the day, if we're going to be on the water," I said.

"But of course."

Suddenly the conversation had ceased moving, and I began rocking back and forth on my feet, unsure of what to do. "Well, uh, goodnight?"

Magnus smiled and said, "Goodnight, Alexander," but it didn't reach his eyes.

He began to walk away, and I went to unlock the door, but as I turned to watch him go, I was overcome by a desire to…

"Magnus!"

He turned.

Not allowing myself to stop for a minute, I grabbed the front of Magnus' jacket and pulled him down to me, then pressed my lips against his. It was different, being this close to another person. I was worried he would feel my rapid heartbeat through my clothes. His lips were soft, and I heard the sharp intake of breath that went through his nose and into his chest, which I was plastered against. I moved my hand from his jacket to the back of his neck, where his hair, softer than I had thought it would be, tickled my fingers. I felt his arms encircle me, pulling me closer. Eventually we pulled away from each other, but his arms remained wrapped around my back.

I was slightly out of breath, but said, "Thanks. For everything."

He nodded dumbly.

I slowly stepped out of his arms, and said, "Call me. So we can schedule that boat ride," and then whirled back around to the door to the apartment.

"You're an enigma, Alexander Lightwood!" Magnus shouted behind me.

I turned to face him for the last time, shouted back, "It's Alec, not Alexander!" and went inside. As I leaned against the closed door, I lifted my hand to my lips, remembering the spark that had seemingly passed between the two of us, and smiled. I pushed off the door, climbing all ten flights of stairs to my apartment, so I could explain the erratic fluttering of my heart to Jace when he asked.

Author's Note: Alright, guys, that's it! Hope you liked it! As always, if you liked the characterization (or didn't), please leave a review so I can know what I'm doing right (and wrong). I thought my handling of Ragnor's green skin was done expertly (lame you say? Predictable? Me? Never…). Hehe…yeah. So! They've kissed. W00t. And I've finally begun to hint about the problem! Magnus might be up to some sneaky business! Dun dun!

I'm thinking of changing the rating of this story to T. What do you guys think? Too mature for the teens (says the teen writing this…)? After all, I've decided that there's not gonna be any smut in this story, it will all be separate…

About this chapter specifically: If any of you can't already tell...I don't live in New York. However, the geography/road names here are real. I pulled up a google map of Manhattan to check. The ice cream shop...not so much.

I also have had both green tea and mint ice cream, and lemme tell you, if you ever have the chance: EAT IT. It's amazing. So much love.

I apologize for all the typos I found in this last chapter...one entire section got deleted, I found like 3 "his"s that were supposed to be "him"s, etc. I think I've gotten them all now, but if one evaded me, tell me and I'll edit it out again.

Please review! I really DO update faster with more reviews, and I get super jelly whenever I see stories with as many words/chapters as mine with like…5 billion reviews. So, click the loverly blue button and leave a review!


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey All! Chapter 5 (or six, counting the prologue…hmm). Gosh, where to begin. I'm super sorry this is late—I was busy with school, and then wasn't particularly inspired for this next chap, as I knew it would be more rising action and setting up the world…le bore. Please try to bear with me, though, as I am trying to make this story pretty cohesive, and setting up an entire plot for financial fraud involving two gay men is NOT EASY. Eesh, why do I do this to myself? It could have been a highschool AU, but no…**

**But hey! I got more reviews this time! 3 Thank you all, for that! Let's try for at least 10 this time around (that may be a stretch…) While reading through some of them, I was super surprised by the overwhelming desire for ****SMUT. Wait, wut. ****(o_O****；****) Jk, jk, I love smut, but, guys…here, lemme take you through what smut in this story would be like:**

"**And then, I felt Magnus reach down and grip my xxxx in his smooth hands. He began pumping me, and my hips bucked in response…yadda yadda foreplay yadda… his fingers were finished stretching my xxxx and he positioned his xxx in front of my eager xxxx and…"**

**Ew. Gross. Idk why, but for some reason reading (and therefore writing) first person sex scenes does not do it for me. At all. ESPECIALLY when there are two guys involved because, hello, I have no xxxx. I feel as if it's a lot harder to do smut tastefully in the first person compared to the third person, and I guess I'm doubting my ability to write it well without it coming across as p0rn. So, I will re-explain. I WILL write some (maybe even many) smutty scenes for this story. HOWEVER, as I have opted to write this story from Alec's POV, and lack many parts of his anatomy, I can't put straight up sex IN the story. Feeling up? Yes. Ass groping? Sure. Heavy kissing? Why not. But sex? Eeh. I will do stand alone chapters that I will put links to in the appropriate chapters, but I just don't think I can write a first person sex scene. Sorry. I really hope that satisfies all the people who were hoping/looking forward to reading one. There WILL be one, maybe more, but as I can't throw a random 3****rd**** person chapter into a 1****st**** person story, they will have to be posted separately. Okay? Yes? Maaybe? Ugh, please don't hate meeeeee.**

******But hey, there will be LIME in THIS CHAPTER! Huh? Huh? That's good, yeah?******

**InMySoul: Refer to above paragraph—I hope you understand…**

**merlotte456: Thank you for all the reviews and the kind comments. They did wonders for my confidence in this story.**

**Fogs: Aww, thank you! I thought I ended it well, glad to hear I was right**

**thetruthmechanism: Thank you for continuing to review this story—it means a lot. And YESH. Ice cream. 'Tis a good thing, that.**

**NillaBear5: Did the paragraph above explain it well? Satisfy you? Maybe?**

**CherieMarie: Thank you, I've been told my writing style is superfluous, so I'm glad you like it (or maybe you like word-y fics 0_o)**

**Obsessed-With-Obsession555: Thank youuuu 3 Sorry this is so late!**

**AuthorRebekka: Thanks! Please keep reviewing!**

**And, as always, thank you to all my watchers, reviewers, and fave-ers, along with all my readers who like to be ninja and secretly support this story. It means a lot, guys.**

**End Authors Note**

Chapter 5:

If any of you skipped over the author's note to read this, go back. The authors note is seriously important. Srsly. Is super srs.

Alright, _now_ Chap 5 can start:

'_I pushed off the door, climbing all ten flights of stairs to my apartment, so I could explain the erratic fluttering of my heart to Jace when he asked.'_

I was panting slightly when I came to the door, hands shaking softly as I fiddled with the keys to my apartment. The key was shoved into the lock, and I turned the knob, opening the door swiftly.

I went into the living room and looked up, jumping as I did. Jace and Clary were staring right at me, as if expecting something. _'Weirdos…'_

"Please stop looking at me like you're going to eat me. The both of you. You're creeping me out," I said, eying them warily.

"How'd it go? I'm assuming it went pretty well, since you were gone for _hours_, and you haven't tried to throttle me yet," Jace said, a light smirk on his face.

"Jace, not that I can't think of tons of reasons someone _would_ want to throttle you, why would I want to right now? Hey, Clary, I didn't know you were coming," I nodded my head in her direction, acknowledging her. She returned the motion.

"Don't tell me you forgot—I was dressing you, I 'made you late,' threats on my life were made…ringing any bells yet?"

"Oh. Oh yeah. I figured I'd wait 'till you were asleep and, y'know, defenseless. But since Clary's here, I guess you can live for another day. Wouldn't want to scar her for life, and she'd be a witness."

Jace scoffed. "So I'm going to live? Score." A fist pump was made, and Clary and I rolled our eyes.

"Jace, you are so…did you really make Alec late for his date?" Clary reprimanded him lightly. _'She's seriously the only one who could ever make Jace feel ashamed.'_

"Eh, maybe. If he was, he was _fashionably_ late, and the fashionable part? Yeah. All me." Jace looked rather pleased with himself.

Clary was less impressed. "Jace, I'm pretty sure that doesn't even count as a pun." She turned to me. "You _do_ look very nice, though, Alec. Kinda like a French movie star."

I felt my cheeks heat up. "Oh. Thanks, Clary."

Jace laughed. "Come on, you're making me jealous."

"Good. He's solid competition for you, when he's dressed like that. You should watch out."

Clary tried to say it with a straight face. She really did, but seconds after she finished the two of them were laughing—I even let out a few stray chuckles, as laughter is infectious.

"Well, I'm heading off. I want a shower. Night, guys." They waved me off, still giggling and having a _jolly_ old time.

'_Stop being jealous, stupid. They're perfect together.'_ Despite the fact that I wanted to hate Clary, I just didn't have it in me. She was nice to everyone, and independent, and she made Jace so happy. They just sort of meshed together—whenever one entered a room, the other was all smiles…it was like something straight out of a fairy tale. I _couldn't_ hate that, no matter how much I wanted to.

After having gone into the bedroom area, I peeled off the clothes that Jace had _oh so graciously_ given me until I was in my underwear. I threw the clothes in the hamper, not checking if they were machine washable or dry clean or whatever. _'His clothes, his problem,'_ I looked at the loafers, tempted to hide them somewhere Jace would have to look, but decided against it and just threw them into his room. Then I stepped into the shared bathroom, and turned the water on, waiting for it to get warm. I glanced up, and saw myself in the mirror. My hair was off my face, and stuck up off to the side—so different from the mass that usually covered my eyebrows and brushed my eyelashes when I blinked. I looked so _strange_. So open. But not bad.

'_Maybe I'll wear it like this again…or get a haircut.'_ I kept pushing it down onto my face and then brushing it off, comparing the two me's. I probably would have continued, but I saw the mirror starting to fog up from the heat of the water. I quickly turned, adjusted the water to the right heat, stepped out of my underwear, and hopped in the shower.

I immediately felt myself begin to relax under the spray of warm water. I let out a long, heavy sigh that I didn't realize I had been holding in. I had planned on making it a quick shower, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. I reached for the shampoo, but paused and was overcome by the desire to just sit under the stream jetting from the shower head. I leaned against the porcelain wall, and shivered, as it hadn't been warmed by the water. I slid down against the wall, slowly, until one of my legs was completely stretched in front of me and my entire frame was resting against the wall or the floor of the shower. I tilted my head back, enjoying the feel of the water.

A loud crash followed by laughter made me open my eyes, which had drifted shut on their own accord. _'Jace…'_ His face appeared in my mind, and I felt something stirring in the pits of my stomach. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to quash the feeling rushing over me, but nonetheless felt my body getting hot, felt myself becoming aroused.

*LIME START HERE. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ, SKIP IT. It's kinda important to plot though. For all others: FORGE AHEAD!*

I shut my eyes tightly and let my head drop. _'God, what's wrong with you? He's you're best friend…'_ I was disgusted with myself, but felt my hand trailing down my body anyway, leaving goose bumps on my skin as it went. My hand wrapped around my length, and I began moving it up and down, letting my other hand find my chest. I kept my eyes closed tightly, but my head swung back, so it was once again resting against the wall. '_How many times have I done this?'_ I pumped faster, and my other hand moving from my chest to the side of the shower, searching for something to hold onto. I panted and gasped, feeling the pleasure in waves throughout my body. The face in my mind began to flicker on and off, as I began to focus less on him and more on the movement of my hand.

Suddenly the face changed. Golden skin, slanted eyes, spiked ebony hair…My eyes flew open and I ripped my hand away from its task.

"…Magnus?" _'What on earth possessed me to think about him…?'_ I was shaken, and almost made to get up, when a painful throbbing brought me back from myself. I was still agonizingly erect. I considered just waiting for it to go down, but when it didn't and Magnus' face stayed clear in my mind, my hand slowly made its way back down my body to continue where I had left off. I began pumping again, this time more focused on the face that appeared in my mind.

'_Alec…' _his voice played in my mind. _'Alexander…'_

"Oh, God," I moaned out.

'_Why don't you let me…help you with that?'_ I saw the playful smirk on his lips, heard the low tenor of his voice, began to feel my hand as his own.

"Aah…Ah!" I brought my free hand up to cover my mouth, which was making far more noise than it usually did.

'_Alexander…'_

It pushed me over the edge. Hearing his voice, seeing him, imagining the _feel_ of him—it was all too much, and I felt myself release violently. I lay panting and shivering on the floor of the shower for some time after, but eventually pushed myself up and forced myself to do what I had actually come in to do—shower.

*Lime done. You can open your eyes now*

After the fastest shampooing and lathering of my life, followed by a similarly speedy toweling off, I stepped out of the shower and nearly ran into my room, grabbing my underwear as I went.

"Hey, Alec?" I jumped at the voice that came from the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower, alright?"

"Yeah, fine, whatever," I croaked back at him, and then cleared my throat. _'I guess Clary decided not to stay…'_ I hastily dressed myself into a t-shirt and new boxers, and threw the old ones into the hamper. I padded over to my bed and practically dropped myself onto it, flipping onto my back and crossing my arms underneath my head. I heard the sound of rushing water coming from the bathroom, telling my Jace had already started his shower. I sighed.

'_Now I'll have to wait to brush my teeth.'_

I stared up at the ceiling, closed my eyes, and sighed again.

"What on earth has gotten into you, Alexander Lightwood?"

The weekend passed too quickly for my liking. It was, once again, back to the old grind. Go to class, practice field hockey, go home, all the while keeping my life at the investment branch at the bank separate, which involved running errands, observing employees, and generally playing the part of an intern.

Tuesdays were the worst for me. I had classes and practice, and also had to report to my father. I would sometimes be up from five in the morning to midnight. The period of time before classes was the worst.

"Alexander! You're here."

"Yes. Hi, dad," I said, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Coffee? I can have Annamarie bring some in for you," he said, looking at me.

"No, I'm alright. Thanks." He nodded.

"Please, Alexander, sit down." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. I sat.

"Now, what seems to be happening downstairs?" _'Right to business, as always…'_

I sighed, and began. "Well, the tellers are working pretty well, and the receptionists…yeah. Them too."

My father's eyes narrowed. "Alec…"

"Dad, look, they really do work well, especially Abby, it's just she—she…"

"Yes, Alexander, she what?" he asked, staring at me intently.

I've never been a good liar. _Especially_ with my parents. "She…she makes personal calls during work hours. But she gets her job done!"

My father sat back and began rubbing his temples. "Yes, Alexander, I'm sure she does her job just fine. That's why she's stuck around this long. However! There are tons of people lined up outside who would do her job exceptionally well _for less money._ Why should we keep her when she doesn't even appreciate the opportunity she's being given here?"

I shot out of my seat. "You're going to fire her?! Why? Just for that?"

"Alexander, calm down and listen to me. I just explained this—she's alright, but why settle for alright when we could have damn near perfect? If she isn't going to work during work hours, then she shouldn't work here at all. Then she can make all the personal calls she wants."

I sank back down in my chair. "Dad…she needs this job."

He sighed. "So do lots of other people, Alec," he said, as if explaining it to a little kid. "You'll understand once you're in this seat. We need maximum efficiency if we're going to keep in the black. And calling the kids on work hours is _not_ what I can maximum efficiency."

I must have looked dejected, because he leaned forward over the desk and began speaking in a softer voice.

"Look, Alec, you're doing this for the good of the company. And, since it's not such a bad thing she's done, I'll just cut her hours. Then we can bring someone else in who really needs this job, and she'll have the opportunity to redeem herself." He leaned back. "I'm not so heartless, you know, Alexander."

I nodded.

"Excellent. Now, how have people performed on the investment end, hmm?"

That was my job. On the outside, I was an intern who had no relation to the higher-ups of the bank, but really, I was a mole for my father who existed to snuff out "slackers" and pick out hard workers, along with taking credit for some good deals he set up along the way. It was all grooming me to become the next big chairman of the bank.

I felt like a traitor. The people I observed, the people I sold out to my father, were the same people who showed me the ropes of whatever task I was given as "the intern". _'Disgusting.'_

Those Tuesday meetings always left me drained, left me feeling empty. I had to "steel myself", my father said, if I wanted to make it in the banking business.

"_You can't be afraid to step on other people's toes. Whatever it takes to get to the top, Alec."_

Yeah. Right. He was basically telling me to "get okay" with the idea of destroying someone's life savings to get a couple thousand in profit. How could you have a heart for that?

"Ridiculous."

My father knew what he was talking about, though. He was in the running for the Fed Chairman nomination, for fuck's sake. He ran the bank like clockwork, was one of the most successful businessmen in the world. But that didn't change the fact that what he did, what _I _was doing, was morally bankrupt. I was being groomed for a job that I had no real reason for refusing, but I cringed at the thought of doing this for the rest of my life. Would I become the same emotionless, gruff man as my father?

I took a cab to the university and waited by the entrance for Jace.

"Hey," I said, when he did show.

"Hey yourself." He looked me up and down. "Y'know, you'd think after all the compliments you got dressing nicely on Friday that you'd come to school looking a bit nicer and not like a schlump."

I gave him a look. "…Nice to see you too, Jace."

He laughed, and we headed inside.

We sat down in our normal seats in the lecture hall, about halfway between the professor and the back of the classroom.

"So, what's got you down?" Jace whispered.

I shrugged, opening the English textbook.

"Come on, that dark cloud you always carry around is threatening to downpour. Tell me."

I sighed, and said, "…Fine. My meeting with dad today was…rough."

"Why?"

"He's gonna cut some poor lady's working hours for the sake of efficiency."

"Oh. That's not your fault, though." Jace looked puzzled.

"Except it is. Dad wouldn't have even known about it if I hadn't told him." I put my head on the table. "She would have been safe."

Jace didn't respond for a while, so I figured the conversation was over, but then he said, "Look. Alec, you have to decide what side you're on."

I shot up from the table and opened my mouth to respond, but Jace held out a hand.

"Let me finish. Mr. Lightwood gave you a job to do. You're doing it. End of story. If she was doing everything she was supposed to be doing, then you wouldn't have said anything. It sounds like she needs a wake-up call. Similarly, your dad's trying to run a business. I get she needs to make money, you get she needs to make money, and _he_ gets she needs to make money, but to him, she's just a paycheck that goes out of the company. If he can get better, why wouldn't he. Everyone has sob stories, especially these days."

"That doesn't help me at all, Jace."

He glared. "If you'd let me _finish…_Alec, you need to decide what you're okay with. If you don't have it in you to take up your dad's mentality, you shouldn't be going into banking. Period. That's what banking is: making money, eliminating things that _don't_ make you money, et cetera. If you can't do that, you should get out now. Become a private financial advisor or something. If you care about what your father thinks about you and 'upholding the Lightwood name' or whatever, get okay with doing that. There. End of story. That's my advice."

I sighed. "It's not that easy…"

He softened. "I know, but if you're going to be able to do any kind of job, you're going to have to make it that easy."

I laughed without any humor. "Maybe you should do this instead of me. You'd be better at it."

He shook his head. "No way. You need to be calculating to do stuff like that, and I'm rash. Besides, I'm a Herondale, not a Lightwood…and I'd never be able to look Clary in the eye, if I was out firing people left and right. Personally, I don't think I could ever do what your father does. I'm too soft-hearted."

"Maybe that's a good thing Jace. Maybe being able to do what my dad does, without blinking an eye, is the disadvantage…"

"The hell if I know. All I know is that I sure don't envy you, man." Jace said.

Classes went by in a blur. I walked to and fro, semi-listening to what the professors said, mostly thinking about what Jace had said in my head.

'_What do I want? What do I want for my life…?'_ There was no question, if I went into banking, I'd be set for life. I could work for five years and leave with enough money to last me two lifetimes, if I retired to the right place. But how many people would I step on along the way? How many people would I hurt to help the privileged few? If I didn't, how would I explain to my father, mother, even ancestors, the reason for my abandonment of the Lightwood name? I didn't know.

When it got to be time for field hockey practice, the coach said he had an emergency, and told us to run five miles and call it a day. Most of us left, Jace and I included.

As soon as we got to our apartment, Jace dashed out, asking me to run his five miles as he went, which surprisingly I was okay with.

I went to my room, stripped out of my clothes, and changed into running shorts, a t-shirt, and my running shoes. Then, I was gone, barely pausing to lock the door behind me.

I run when I'm upset. I run when I need to think, when I need to get away. It's like a cure-all. So I ran. I ran and ran, past the apartment, past my dad's work, past everything. It had even turned from afternoon to late evening before I even thought of stopping. I knew I would need to get back, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around, so I drove myself farther and farther away. I immersed myself in the pounding of my feet against concrete, and listened to the sound of the rapid pounding of my heart in my ears. My legs began burning and screaming, and my stomach started to do flip-flops inside me, but I didn't care. Part of me wanted to run until I threw up, and _then_ some.

I continued running until the sun had begun sinking into the horizon, splashing the sky with orange and purple hues. I plopped myself on a bench and tried to regain my breath and calm the erratic thumping of my heart. _'Maybe I overdid it…'_ I thought, still gasping for air. I was nearly doubled over, trying to get as much oxygen into my lungs as possible. After what seemed like hours, my breathing finally slowed to a more normal pace. I got up of the bench and started walking around, observing where I was.

"The docks? Wait, isn't this where…?" _'Where Magnus took me?'_ I really ran far. I walked over to the edge of the pier and swung my legs over, feeling the wind begin to dry my sweat. I sat there, just looking at the sun and the sky, listening to the gentle splashing of the water against the wood of the boardwalk.

I could have sat there for hours, just breathing, pretending I had nowhere to be and no responsibilities to take care of; no name to uphold. I would have sat there, for hours, I suspect, if a voice behind me hadn't startled me.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?" A deep, rich tenor.

My head whipped around, eyes wide.

"Magnus…"

**Author's Note: So there you have it! Chapter 5! Yay! We get some more inklings into Alec's inner turmoil, and we also get to see more of his relationship with his dad and Jace. Also there was a Lime. Was it terrible? Believe it or not, it was my first time writing something like that…God, I hope it was okay…Sorry for the utter lack of Magnus, but he'll definitely be in next chapter, ya? And, well, technically he was in this chapter. Heehee. I'm going to try to get the rest of the gang in over the next few chaps, as I'm trying to keep this as free of OCs as possible. Hope y'all liked it! As always:**

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